Activities and sites
Things to do in Pilanesberg National Park
Pilanesberg is built for the self-driver: four tarred spines, gravel loops and a string of hides around an extinct volcano's crater, two to three hours from Johannesburg. On top of that you can book a guided drive, a dawn bush walk or a balloon flight, and Sun City sits on the southern boundary.
If you only want the answer
Self-drive the Kubu, Kgabo, Tshwene and Tau drives and stop at the hides, especially Mankwe on the central dam. Add a guided drive with Mankwe Gametrackers (from R612 per person for 3 hours from Manyane or Bakgatla), a 4-hour bush walk (R952) or a balloon flight (R6,592), all priced on top of the daily gate fee of R168 per South African adult or R748 per foreign adult (tariff from 1 December 2025).
Self-driving Pilanesberg: the main way to see the park
Most visitors drive themselves. The core circuit runs up Kubu Drive from Bakubung gate in the south-west, north on Kgabo Drive to Bakgatla gate, and east on Tshwene Drive to Manyane gate, with Tau Drive linking Kgabo and Tshwene. The network adds up to about 188 km of track, much of it gravel, and the Pilanesberg Centre sits near the middle by Mankwe Dam.
A two-wheel-drive car manages the tar drives. For the gravel loops, the FAQ on the pilanesbergnationalpark.org agent portal says some roads are in poor condition and recommends a high-clearance vehicle, and in 2026 the tar itself is broken up in places: SA People reported large potholes in July 2026, and the board said in August 2026 that more than 80 km of road had been graded, while tour operators still called the roads in very poor shape. Plan slow driving and allow for it on the way to your exit gate.
A self-drive map booklet used to be sold at the gates for R40 (a 2020 report); whether it is still on sale, and at what price, is not published.
Guided game drives
Mankwe Gametrackers is the main guided-activity operator inside the park, selling from the gates and through Sun City. Its scheduled drives run in 25-seater open vehicles with a minimum of 4 guests, and the prices below exclude the park fee. The operator states that these rates are valid from 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2026, so expect new prices from December 2026.
Agent portals resell the same drives for more: one quotes R1,050 per South African adult and R1,550 per international adult for a scheduled drive. Book with the operator to compare. Lodges inside the park run their own drives for guests, usually two a day at the aha and Legacy lodges and on the private reserve on the western side.
| Activity | Price per person (2025 to 2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled drive, 3 h, from Manyane or Bakgatla | R612 (about $37) | Open 25-seater, minimum 4 guests |
| Scheduled drive, 3 h, from Sun City or Bakubung gate | R807 (about $49) | Bakubung departures 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:30 to 18:00 |
| Scheduled drive, 2 h | R542 from Manyane or Bakgatla, R612 from Sun City or Bakubung | |
| Private 10-seater vehicle | R8,700 per vehicle (about $532) | |
| Private 25-seater vehicle | R16,800 per vehicle (about $1,027) | |
| Guided bush walk, about 4 h | R952 (about $58) | Early morning, ages 16 to 74 |
| Hot-air balloon, about 1 h aloft | R6,592 (about $403) | About 5 h in total; minimum age 7, minimum 4 passengers |
Mankwe Gametrackers prices read on its booking engine on 24 Sep 2026 for October 2026 dates; all exclude the park conservation fee. Dollar figures at USD 1 = ZAR 16.36.
Can you do a night drive in Pilanesberg?
Self-drivers must be out of the park by gate closing, and entry stops about one hour before. Mankwe Gametrackers' online catalogue listed no night drive on 24 September 2026, and the board publishes no rule on night-drive licensing. If an after-dark drive matters to you, stay at a lodge inside the park that runs one and confirm it when you book.
The hides and Mankwe Dam
An agent's hides page from 2020 names six hides: Mankwe, Ratlhogo, Ruighoek, Malatse, Makorwane and Batlhako. Mankwe Hide, reached by a raised walkway over Mankwe Dam, burned in the 2018 fire and reopened in 2019 after a rebuild with the Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust; Lenong Hide was also rebuilt after a fire. Mankwe Dam, about 2 km², is the park's largest water body and the obvious first stop for birders.
The same old page says every hide is fenced and has toilets. The board itself said in October 2025 that picnic sites and ablutions were in dire need of refurbishment, and in February 2026 it named hides, picnic sites and ablutions as the first phase of upgrades. No list of which hides are open in 2026 exists, so treat any single hide as a maybe until you see it.
Hot-air ballooning over the crater
Mankwe Gametrackers flies a Hot Air Balloon Safari from a launch site in the centre of the park, with pick-up from Sun City or Bakubung gate. You spend about an hour in the air and about five hours in total, it runs year-round when the weather allows, and it costs R6,592 per person plus the park fee (2025 to 2026 rate). Minimum age is 7 and at least 4 passengers are needed.
Launches are at dawn, and on a winter morning the dawn low averages 5.9°C in June and July on Open-Meteo's normals, with the Rustenburg station recording July lows near 3°C. Dress for it.
Guided walks
Mankwe Gametrackers runs a guided bush walk of about four hours in the early morning for ages 16 to 74, at R952 per person. Some lodges on the private reserve on the western side also offer walks to their guests. Walking on your own is not allowed: outside the hides, picnic sites and the Pilanesberg Centre you stay in your vehicle.
Pilanesberg Centre, picnic sites and the Iron Age Site
The Pilanesberg Centre, the old magistrate's court near Mankwe Dam, is the central stop for day visitors, with a restaurant and shop according to Wikipedia. The Wildlife Trust's kiosk there was last mentioned in December 2024, and its 2026 operating status is not published. The restaurant at Manyane Resort was destroyed by fire, and reconstruction was described as nearing completion in October 2025; bring your own lunch unless you have confirmed otherwise.
The Iron Age Site was closed because of broken fencing and, according to the Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust, was due to reopen on Saturday 3 October 2026. Named picnic sites have not been checked one by one for 2026.
Boats, fishing and horse riding
The board publishes no boat trips and no fishing rules for the park, and no operator sells either inside it. Horse riding at the park's edge is mentioned by some sites, but no current operator could be confirmed, so it is not listed here. Animal-interaction products are not covered by this guide.
Cultural visits
The park is community land managed by the province: land came from the Bakgatla and Bakubung, and four Community Property Associations are now partners in the park's future. Guided visits to Bakgatla or Bakubung villages could not be confirmed as running in 2026, and the board publishes no cultural programme. The history page tells the story of the land and the people moved off it.
Combining Pilanesberg with Sun City
Sun City borders the park on the south, and Kwa-Maritane gate is about 7 km from the resort. A Sun City day ticket costs from R395 per adult and R290 per child aged 3 to 12 (read 24 Sep 2026), covers resort entry and the Valley of Waves, and is sold through TicketPro only. Sun International hotel rates include both.
Mankwe Gametrackers picks up for drives at the Sun City Welcome Centre and also runs quad biking near Sun City at R930 an hour. Choose a morning in the park and an afternoon at the pools if you travel with children; skip Sun City altogether if you came for quiet.
Park rules for self-drivers
- Pay the conservation fee per person and per vehicle, per day: R168 per South African adult, R748 per foreign adult, R168 per car (tariff from 1 December 2025).
- Gates are card only since 1 December 2025; carry a chip-and-PIN card and a backup. The board does not say which cards are accepted.
- No Wild Card of any kind is accepted.
- South Africans must show ID for the South African rate.
- Stay in your vehicle except at designated hides, picnic sites and the Pilanesberg Centre.
- Be out by gate closing; entry stops about one hour before. Latecomers may be fined; the board publishes no amount.
- No pets. No motorcycles in the park; they may ride only to Manyane and Bakgatla camps.
- A 40 km/h speed limit is widely quoted, but the board publishes no official figure.
Sources
- Mankwe Gametrackers: products and prices (read 24 Sep 2026)
- Mankwe Gametrackers: Hot Air Balloon Safari (read 24 Sep 2026)
- Mankwe Gametrackers: game drives and bush walks (read 24 Sep 2026)
- pilanesbergnationalpark.org: tariffs and gate times (agent, read 24 Sep 2026)
- pilanesbergnationalpark.org: FAQ (agent, read 24 Sep 2026)
- pilanesberggamereserve.co.za: tariffs and gate times (agent, read 24 Sep 2026)
- Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust: Mankwe Hide (read 24 Sep 2026)
- Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust: Iron Age Site reopening (read 24 Sep 2026)
- Tourism Update: Pilanesberg upgrade drives steep tariff hikes (Oct 2025)
- OFM: new tariffs at park in North West (6 Feb 2026)
- Travel News: Pilanesberg works to restore trade confidence (Aug 2026)
- Sun International: Sun City (read 24 Sep 2026)
- Wikipedia: Pilanesberg National Park (roads, Pilanesberg Centre)